Where do we get the idea that contraception is bad?

[SonOfMan]

Where do we get it from? The human body, basically. Which is why even non-Catholics around the world are beginning to question its use.

I dont think “the human body” cares how it has sex, it just enjoys sex. God, however, condemns a lot of things that “the human body” says otherwise. Nothing about contraception though.

 

[SonOfMan]

Jesus also never explicitly condemned selling children into slavery.

Of course he didnt. Slavery was permitted in those times.

 

[SonOfMan]

But would that not take away my right to fornicate?

If you’re married then its not fornication.

 

[SolomonGrundy]

So does eating cheesecake for that matter.

But these are not the kinds of discussions Im looking to have. The ides that contraception is wrong seems to come from theologians (who are fallible), not from God or even Jesus.

…like the Bible…

If nothing else, then go back to the infallible councils (and yes, all but VII are infallible) and check it out.
My advice to all who deride the teaching on contraception is to get rid of it for a year and see how you ‘feel’ about it.

 

[nodito]

So does eating cheesecake for that matter.

No, this demonstrates a misunderstanding of what natural law is. Eating cheesecake is in accord with our nature, because we were designed to consume food and process it for energy.

But these are not the kinds of discussions Im looking to have. The ides that contraception is wrong seems to come from theologians (who are fallible), not from God or even Jesus.

If what you’re looking for is the authority of the Church to teach on matters of faith and morals, then look no further than Matthew 16 where Jesus said to St. Peter, the first pope, “I give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven; Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven.”

 

[SonOfMan]

No, this demonstrates a misunderstanding of what natural law is. Eating cheesecake is in accord with our nature, because we were designed to consume food and process it for energy.

There isnt much nutritional value in cheesecake to process for energy. Eating cheesecake is for pure pleasure, not out of necessity.

On the other hand, having sex with one’s spouse is in accord with our nature.

If what you’re looking for is the authority of the Church

What I am wondering is how the Church comes to the conclusion that contraception is bad. My understanding is that their conclusion on this matter comes from fallible theologians, not from God.

 

[Ignatius]

Adultery, lust, and divorce are worse than contraception and got frequent condemnations from Jesus. So far outside the Biblical mindset that God even created 2 Commandments regarding these issues.

That is a teaching handed down from the very beginning.
Up until the 1930’s , all Christians, including all Protestant denominations, agreed with the Catholic Church’s teaching condemning contraception as sinful.

Contraception is wrong because it’s a deliberate violation of the design God built into the human race, often referred to as “natural law.” The natural law purpose of sex is procreation. The pleasure that sexual intercourse provides is an additional blessing from God, intended to offer the possibility of new life while strengthening the bond of intimacy, respect, and love between husband and wife. The loving environment this bond creates is the perfect setting for nurturing children.

Contraception was so far outside the biblical mindset and so obviously wrong that it did not need the frequent condemnations. Scripture condemns the practice when it mentions it. Once a moral principle has been established in the Bible, every possible application of it need not be mentioned.

The biblical teaching that birth control is wrong is found even more explicitly among the Church Fathers, who recognized the biblical and natural law principles underlying the condemnation.

Here is a good, in depth discussion of the subject:
catholic.com/tracts/birth-control

And here is an audio of a q/a.
catholic.com/radio/shows/…n-encore-27078

 

[nodito]

There isnt much nutritional value in cheesecake.

This is true. Cheesecake is far from the healthiest food choice. But it’s still a food. Our bodies need fat, carbohydrates, vitamin A. I would agree that eating* only* cheesecake is not in accord with our nature, but eating cheesecake in and of itself does not violate our nature.

Eating cheesecake is for pure pleasure, not out of necessity.

“In accord with nature” does not mean only that which is necessary for survival. Sleeping seven or eight hours a night is in accord with our nature, even if a person could survive on less. Visiting with our friends and family is in accord with our nature, though we often do these things for pleasure, because we are social creatures. This is true even though some people prefer to remain solitary or choose to become hermits.

On the other hand, having sex with one’s spouse is in accord with our nature.

I agree; there’s no dispute there.

What I am wondering is how the Church comes to the conclusion that contraception is bad. My understanding is that their conclusion on this matter comes from fallible theologians, not from God.

The Church is guided by the Holy Spirit. It has taught that contraception is wrong for over 2000 years. The teaching does come from God, it is just that God chose to reveal it to use through our nature and our reason, rather than through divine revelation.

You can find other examples of this. We know that child abuse is wrong, not because Jesus said, “Thou shall not abuse your offspring” but because we can reason that parents ought to love their children. We see that this is best for the children themselves, for society. We recognize that children who grow up in loving homes do better than children who grow up in abusive situations. In other words, we know instinctively and rationally that child abuse is wrong, even though we never read about it specifically in the Bible.

 

[SonOfMan]

In other words, we know instinctively and rationally that child abuse is wrong, even though we never read about it specifically in the Bible.

The same cannot be said about contraception. In fact, contracepting for most people is instinctive and rational. Things that are not obvious need to be clarified. If Jesus felt he needed to clarify obvious things like adultery, violence, and greed, then he probably should have clarified the topic of contraception.

 

[ahs]

The same cannot be said about contraception. In fact, contracepting for most people is instinctive and rational.

For “most”? Do you know this, or are you assuming it? And even if this is true, does that make if right? If a majority find something to be “instinctive and rational”, does that make it so?

Things that are not obvious need to be clarified. If Jesus felt he needed to clarify obvious things like adultery, violence, and greed, then he probably should have clarified the topic of contraception.

Why do you believe He didn’t? Just because you don’t see it written explicitly in the Bible?

 

[freeRadical]

I don’t see how artificial birth control is any different than NFP. NFP is basically the rhythm method.

 

[freeRadical]

Because the whole point of sex is procreation. Once you take procreation out of the equation, you’re essentially just having intercourse for the purpose of lust.

Does that mean people who practice NFP are having intercourse for the purpose of lust?

 

[Murmurs]

For “most”? Do you know this, or are you assuming it? And even if this is true, does that make if right? If a majority find something to be “instinctive and rational”, does that make it so?

Why do you believe He didn’t? Just because you don’t see it written explicitly in the Bible?

More properly, contraception (unlike adultery, perpetrating violence, or being greedy) were entirely possible in 1st-century Palestine, so would have been both on the radar of those around Jesus, Jesus himself, and also the authors of the New Testament who, inspired or not, would more readily pick up references to greed (which could be understood) than to contraception (which even though it did exist would not be readily available at all). There’s a reason it’s not explicitly condemned (or allowed) in the Bible, so we just have to make inferences from scripture and tradition to inform teaching today.

 

[nodito]

The same cannot be said about contraception. In fact, contracepting for most people is instinctive and rational. Things that are not obvious need to be clarified. If Jesus felt he needed to clarify obvious things like adultery, violence, and greed, then he probably should have clarified the topic of contraception.

I’d argue that avoiding contraception is rational and for a long time was also instinctive for most people. I’d attribute our modern confusion about contraception to the culture that we are indoctrinated into that teaches us to be obsessed with sex and hostile to pregnancy.

I think we’re watching something similar happen today with same sex relationships. For a long time, people instinctively understood that it was unnatural and wrong for two people of the same sex to be romantically involved. But we’re becoming confused about the purpose of marriage and the relationship between love, sex, and babies. Today same sex relationships are celebrated on TV and in pop culture, and in fifty years, I preditct it won’t even be controversial. Why did Jesus never say anything about same sex marriage?

 

[nodito]

I don’t see how artificial birth control is any different than NFP. NFP is basically the rhythm method.

NFP is just information about our bodies and our fertility. It’s not necessarily the rhythm method, which was based on the calendar and not on the particular fertility symptoms of a given woman. Couples use the information they discern to decide whether or not to engage in sex on any given day. If they have sex, the act remains unaltered.

Contraception changes the act. It renders it sterile. This is a big difference from simply abstaining from the act.

There’s oodles written about this on these forums if you do a search. Your comment is kind of buried in this thread, so it’s unlikely to generate the kind of explanations you might find useful. I’d start a new thread if you want to discuss the differences between NFP and contraception, of which there are many.

 

[zz912]

Conception doesn’t have to be a disease, but it can be unwanted. An unwanted pregnancy can be worse than a disease for some people.

Well of course the natural consequences of sin are unwanted. They always are.

 

[zz912]

Back to the topic, artificial contraception was a tricky subject for me coming into the Church. In conservative synagogue, we talked about Onanism being misunderstood, that Onan’s crime was in not doing what the Lord asked (impregnating his sister-in-law0, not merely “spilling his seed.” We were taught that Catholics and Orthodox Jews are benevolently mistaken in this interpretation, and therefore do not believe in withdrawal or barrier methods of contraception.

Their interpretation of that is faulty. Look to what the penalty was for refusing sire children for his sister-in-law. It was public shaming.

What penalty did God exact? Death.

So the sin Onan committed and which he was punished for was not refusing to sire a child. It was contraception.

 

[nodito]

Well of course the natural consequences of sin are unwanted. They always are.

zz912, There are a lot of women who find themselves facing an unwanted pregnancy who did nothing wrong. Victims of rape or incest, for example, but also married women who had good or serious reasons for wanting to avoid. I don’t believe the solution is contraception, but it’s unfair to say that only sinners conceive in less than ideal situations.

 

[SonOfMan]

Why did Jesus never say anything about same sex marriage?

Good point, and there isnt even a commandment about it. Maybe its not wrong. Maybe that was just something apart of the Mosaic Law, not necessarily God’s Law. Sounds like a topic for another thread though.

I know St. Paul condemns a lot of people, like fornicators, adulterers, murderers, etc, but contraceptors are not on that list.

 

[nodito]

I know St. Paul condemns a lot of people, like fornicators, adulterers, murderers, etc, but contraceptors are not on that list.

Neither are rapists, or child abusers, or people who deliberately pollute rivers with toxic factory byproducts. Neither Jesus nor St. Paul explicitly condemned everything we know to be sinful.